OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:17 PM – Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) won his primary on Tuesday against challenger Aaron Dimmock (R-Fla.), who garnered over $3 million dollars in support from a super PAC backed by former House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy.
Eight House Republicans voted to oust McCarthy from his position of House Speaker, in a move that McCarthy and his allies are still holding on to as they have financially supported the opposition candidates of the defectors.
Those that voted with Democrats to oust McCarthy cited budget and spending disagreements, as well as accountability concerns, which they felt McCarthy was not holding the Biden administration accountable for.
The Florida Patriots PAC, a McCarthy ally, spent $3.5 million on advertisements against Gaetz, but to no avail. The ads called Gaetz’s character into question by focusing on an ongoing Ethics Committee investigation regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and drug usage.
Firing back, Gaetz attacked Dimmock, stating, “Aaron Dimmock is a BLM supporting DEI instructor who qualified for office with a Missouri Drivers License and still works for Missouri Government. Even Kevin McCarthy’s $3 million couldn’t put enough lipstick on this pig.”
Despite the millions of dollars spent against Gaetz, he was still able to garner 72% of the votes in the race, steamrolling the challenger.
Additionally, Gaetz enjoyed a boost from a Donald Trump endorsement, which he took advantage of in an ad where the former president said that Gaetz is “a very good person, and he’s a very capable man. You ever watch this guy on television? Like a machine. He’s great. He loves Florida, and he loves the country.”
Following the news of Gaetz’s victory, Gaetz took to X (Twitter) to share a screenshot of Donald Trump congratulating his victory.
In a victory lap speech following the victory, Gaetz also antagonized McCarthy’s vindictive advertising spending tactics, even though it did not negatively affect Gaetz.
“It’s traditional in moments like these, with margins of victory like this that you hear from your opponents and I have not yet heard from Aaron Dimmock or Kevin McCarthy this evening. Kevin McCarthy spent $3 million dollars in this race, not attacking my votes or my work on your behalf, but just simply trying to attack my character, $3 million dollars,” Gaetz boasted. “Two years ago, I got 70 percent of the vote, and tonight it looks like we’re getting 73 percent of the vote. So Kevin if you’re watching, spend a little more next time and we’ll get to 80 [percent].”
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